Janata parivar merger sets tone for new battles
The merger of the six so-called socialist parties on Wednesday into an entity that is yet to be named, and whose symbol is still to be decided upon, is the culmination of months of deliberation among the principal leaders of these parties on ways to contain the growing electoral clout of the Bharatiya Janata Party. The merger has nothing to do with principles or ethics — and certainly not with socialism. The six parties realised that individually they were ill-equipped to take on the BJP.
They now hope to do so jointly. There is nothing wrong in political parties striking alliances and merging to challenge their rivals; and to that extent the decision of the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Janata Dal, the Janata Dal (United), the Indian National lok Dal, the Janata Dal (Secular) and the Samajwadi Janata Party, to form a common entity, is understandable. Reactions have been along expected lines. The Janata parivar leaders are confident that they are now in a position to confront the BJP effectively, while the BJP has dismissed the home-coming as ‘zero plus zero adding up to zero’. While these are political postures, the real test for all concerned will be the Bihar Assembly election due towards the year-end.
The Samajwadi Party of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, who, incidentally, has been announced as the leader of the new party, does not have any real presence there. It is the coming together of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) and lalu Prasad’s Rashtriya Janata Dal which will pose a challenge to the resurgent BJP. It is possible that the caste calculations may work in the new combine’s favour, but it is also possible that it may not. It must not be forgotten that the 2014 lok Sabha election had seen voters cutting caste lines to endorse the BJP. There is also the dissent element. It is already clear that some very senior JD(U) and RJD leaders are upset with the alliance, and they could muddy the waters in the weeks to come.
It is difficult to see Mr Jitan Ram Manjhi, ousted and replaced by Mr Nitish Kumar, going along with the new party. He commands a sizeable section of the Mahadalit votes and can be a spoiler. The new party will also have to grapple with the negative public perception about lalu Prasad, who stands convicted in a corruption case and cannot even contest an election, and whose tenures are remembered as ‘jungle raj’. Mr Nitish Kumar’s constant claim of clean politics is, therefore, going to be repeatedly questioned in the coming days
The Bihar result will determine the fate of the new group, as it will also demonstrate whether the BJP has sustained its popularity in the State. The outcome can also impact the future of the nascent party in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh, where an Assembly election is due in a couple of years’ time. All in all, interesting political times are ahead.